g5rv antenna

Published April 28, 2017

While working on my bitx, I was in need of a 20 meter antenna. I strung up a quick dipole. but it didn’t work very well. I’ve been meaning to put together a multiband antenna for a while and since I had pretty much everything I would need, I built a G5RV antenna.

More information about the G5RV antenna, including formulas, measurements, etc, can be found here.

The basic parts that I used were:

PVC end caps

eye bolts

old tv twin lead

14 gauge stranded THHN

screw on cable clamps

electric fence insulators

SO239 connector

I started with the PVC end caps.

I mounted an so239 connector to the outside of the cap.

I found a roll of old twin lead at the thrift store for a few bucks.

I attached and soldered the twin lead to the so239 connector.

Then I filled the cap when fiberglass resin and let it cure.

Some leaked out around the connector, but it was easy to scrape off.

Next, I added eye bolts to the other PVC end cap. Two to attach each side of the dipole and one on top to hang the antenna.

Next, I measured out the wire and connected each end to the end cap using the cable clamps.

I then connected and soldered the other end of the twin lead to the two dipole arms.

Then I potted it in fiberglass resin.

Next, I added the electric fence insulators to the ends using more cable clamps. I went back and used some loctite on on all of the cable clamp screws.

Once the fiberglass cured, it pulled away from the edges of the PVC end caps. I took some silicon and filled in around the whole tops of the end caps for a little extra waterproofing.

Once I got the antenna outside, I quickly realized I didn’t really have a good place for it. It is a long antenna. The full width is 102 feet. I temporarily strung it up between the house and a tree and left the twin lead laying across the ground and it seemed to receive well on 20 and 40. Once I find a permanent place for it, I will test out my tuner and and report back on how well this thing works.